Professional Scouts is a technology in Age of Empires IV that can be researched at any dedicated food drop-off building or various landmarks starting in the Feudal Age. Once researched, Scouts gain the ability to carry Deer and Sheep carcasses and deal 100% extra damage against wild animals. It is available to all civilizations except for the Sengoku Daimyo.
Gameplay mechanics[]
Upon researching this technology, Scouts will automatically carry Deer or Sheep carcasses back to the dedicated drop-off site, after killing them if necessary. While carrying a carcass, a Scout will move 55% slower, and Deer carcasses will lose food over time at approximately 1.3 to 1.4 food per second (Sheep carcasses are not affected). If shift-clicking a single Scout to several animals, the Scout will kill and return each one before moving on to the next one, or indeed before performing any other queued action. If shift-clicking multiple Scouts to multiple animals, one Scout will break off from the group for each animal to carry it back while the rest continue to the next one. Scouts cannot carry Boar or Cattle carcasses.
The default carcass drop-off location is the landmark Town Center. To change this location, the Scout gains the following ability:
Set Automatic Dropoff Target: Choose a building where carried carcasses should be dropped when using the Scout to hunt.
Civilization bonuses[]
- Abbasid Dynasty: Research speeds are +15%/+20% faster while Golden Age tiers 2/3 are active. If Preservation of Knowledge has been researched, this technology costs -20%.
- Ayyubids: Research speeds are 25% faster while Golden Age tier 2 is active
- Byzantines: Research speeds are 30% faster per water level at buildings within the influence of a Cistern with the Dialecticus ability active.
- Chinese and Zhu Xi's Legacy: The technology researches 150% faster when the Mill or Granary is supervised by an Imperial Official. For Zhu Xi's Legacy, this can be improved to 300% faster after researching Regional Inspection.
- Delhi Sultanate: The technology is free, but takes 4.67x as long to research (350 seconds instead of 75 seconds).
- French and Jeanne d'Arc: Economic technologies are 35% cheaper.
- House of Lancaster: This technology is 15% cheaper if King's College has been constructed.
- Malians: Technologies take less time to research based on how much gold has been obtained through trade.
- Mongols: Can research Improved technology for another 100 stone - Scouts deal 200% extra damage against animals.
Changelog[]
- Originally, Scouts had no movement speed penalty when carrying animal carcasses. With patch 10257, Scouts moved 35% slower while carrying a carcass. With patch 12.2.3327 Scouts moved 40% slower while carrying a carcass. With update 13.0.4178, they move 55% slower.
- Originally, Professional Scouts took 210 seconds to research for the Delhi Sultanate. With Season Two Update 17718, it took 262 seconds. With patch 13.1.4420, it takes 350 seconds.
- With patch 11.1.1201, Scouts no longer need to be tasked back to a drop-off site to drop off carcasses. They return automatically after killing the animal and collecting the carcass.
- Originally, Professional Scouts cost 75 wood, 275 gold. With patch 12.2.3327, the wood cost was increased to 100 wood. With update 13.0.4178, the cost was further increased to 150 wood, 300 gold.
- With update 15.1.6970, Deer carcasses now decay while being carried by a Scout, and lose food at approximately 1.3 to 1.4 food per second.
Campaign version[]
Because the original four campaigns have not been rebalanced since the release of the game, Professional Scouts has different stats in those campaigns:
- Scouts can carry Boar carcasses after researching
- Scouts gain an additional 10% movement speed
- It costs 125 gold and takes 45 seconds to research
- The Mongol improved version costs an additional 125 stone, gives only +50% extra damage vs animals (for +150% total) and gives +3% movement speed (for +13% total).
- Carcasses do not decay while being carried.
In the The Sultans Ascend campaign, Professional Scouts retains its stats upon the release of the campaign. That is, it costs 75 wood, 275 gold and the movement penalty while carrying a Deer is only 35%. Additionally, carcasses do not decay while being carried.
Trivia[]
- Professional Scouts is the only technology whose Improved version's (for the Mongols) extra stone cost is not equal to the sum of its standard resource cost.
Gallery[]
